Kid Tripp was minding his own business and flying peacefully in his plane until he crashed into a giraffe with an exceptionally long neck. Now the whole animal kingdom is mad at him and he must keep running to avoid being trampled by the angry mob. The story is pretty simple, and the controls are pretty easy (A button), but the rest of this game is brutally hard. It took me about 100 deaths before completing world 1-1.

My fragile ego was restored once I beat the first level and the rest of them seemed to be easier after doing so. Or perhaps I just got better at this challenging 2D platformer running game. Like all runner games, your character keeps moving and dies upon touching any enemies or obstacles in their way. Upon your death you have to start from the beginning as there are no checkpoints in the levels.

I'm grateful for the 10 lives, but they never seem to be enough. More lives can be earned by collecting one hundred gold coins. Gold medals are also given for collecting all of the coins available in a level. I did earn that medal once or twice, but I didn’t have the desire to go back and re-do a level after finishing it. I was happy enough, if not ecstatic for managing to complete it in the first place. In the event that you need to leave the game, your progress will be stored so you won’t have to start over from the first world again.

Each level is riddled with various animals, platforms, spikes, and other obstacles that require the utmost precision to get past them. Most of the animals can be stomped on, but there are some that you’ll need to avoid doing so in order to avoid the next threat. Sometimes a wave of frogs or bats will be coming your way and you may have to stomp on all of them or only some of them to get through unscathed. With so many opportunities to die, I couldn’t help but feel that many of the obstacles/enemy placements were sadistic and cruel.

The first level had a blue bird that I was never able to dodge. I took to the water to bypass it, which is surprisingly effective as long as you keep jumping and don’t have any platforms covering your head and causing you to drown. Knowing your environment is half of the battle. The other half is timing. There are some catapults and balloons that have to be activated at the precise millisecond in order to successfully use them. There is a precision timer on the top of the screen which some may find helpful while others could consider it intimidating as it reveals how quickly they can die in a level. If I could survive longer than twenty seconds, I was doing pretty good.

Kid Tripp is best enjoyed in small doses as dying quickly and repeatedly is only fun for so long. I often found that I did better after taking a break. This game is not good for those with little patience. While it feels good beating a level, I prefer my games to be more relaxing.

Though Kid Tripp is family friendly, it’s probably not good for kids who get easily discouraged. It is a cute game that is ideal for anyone looking for a challenge though. The $3.99 price tag is reasonable as this title provides twenty levels that are not for the faint of heart.

Years ago, I made a PC game using RPG Maker XP. Though I relied mostly on the stock artwork and sound effects, the option to use original assets truly make a game stand out from the rest. RPG Maker FES has a decent amount of fantasy themed characters, enemies, buildings, and interior assets built into it, but if you want to do anything that goes beyond the scope of the included material, you may want to consider the cheaper PC version instead. For $40 FES is a competent suite that is relatively easy to use and making games on the go is surprisingly fun.

In total there are sixteen save slots which can be used for various game projects. When creating a new game you’ll be brought to the main screen which has five options: Map Settings, Event Settings, Database, Test Play, and Save. Test Play lets you play your game in its current state and will show you a debug screen and will allow you to pass though obstacles that you normally couldn’t. Save should be self-explanatory if you don’t want to lose your hard work.

The map settings screen is where you’ll be designing your world map, cities, interiors, and dungeons. There are ninety-nine map slots so take that into consideration if you add a lot of unique houses and dungeons/caves in your game. Whatever map option you choose you’ll have to pick the size (32X32, 64X64, 128X128) and design it. There are pre-made samples of each category and you can use them as-is or tweak them to your liking. Creating maps from scratch is entirely possible too.

Highlights:

Strong Points: Great way to create and try free RPGs that other users have madeWeak Points: Without the ability to add your own resources you have to rely on the built-in content and upcoming DLC packsMoral Warnings: RPG violence and optional magic use; you can create taverns; some females are shown in skimpy outfits

When creating your map you can paint different terrains by pressing the X button. From this menu you can select black for a backdrop and various terrains like dirt, grass, gravel, sand, snow, ice, and so forth. My only complaint here is that even the smallest size is way too big for many interior maps and an option to bucket fill the black backdrop would have been helpful.

A map without stuff to do is pretty boring. You can hard code in enemy encounters in specific places or create character events and let them move in specified patterns or wander around freely until your character touches or talks to them.

There are many simple pre-built events like a hotel, church, and store interfaces. The menu dialog is all configured; all you need to do is add in the items or set the prices for the inn or the cost of prayer to revive a fallen party member. Adding your own event is necessary for NPC encounters. Events are done through a drag and drop interface and you cannot code or add your own scripts whatsoever.

The main character and party members (up to four at a time) are configured in the database section. Monsters, groups, professions, weapons, and sellable items are also customized here. The database also stores your game’s name and subtitle. Sadly, you have a limited number of characters for the game’s title length. The subtitle gives you a little more to work with though.

There’s a 27-page manual built into the game and it’s handy in teaching you the basics about RPG Maker FES’ interface. Most of features are best learned through trial and error. It took me a while to master my game’s opening sequence with the story and gender assignments. The hardest part was to have it go away afterward. I solved that problem by having it place the character somewhere on the map after it ran. Before I set up the story sequence, I couldn’t figure out how to change the character’s starting position. Instead of working with the character’s icon on the map, it has to be done through the event manager.

From a moral perspective, you can make games as magic heavy or absent as you like. Standard RPG violence is expected in the built-in battle system where you issue commands and see them take place. There isn’t any blood shown. Sadly, some of the female character art shows more skin than clothes. Taverns can be present in your towns, but you can alter the menu to only serve root beer if you wish.

All in all, RPG Maker FES has a lot to offer for aspiring game makers. Anyone can freely download the RPG Maker FES player from the eShop and play games that other users have made. DLC packs offering more content will be released in the future and I look forward to seeing what I and others can do with this software.

Cooking Mama is back and this time she’s specializing in sweets! If she keeps her customers happy, especially a particularly wealthy lady, Mama can open up several stores worldwide. At first, there are only a handful of recipes, but for each completed one, another becomes available until all sixty of them are unlocked. Each recipe has several steps/mini-games to complete and they all require different skills and techniques to master. Depending on how well you do, your creations will get either a gold, silver, or a bronze medal. Even one mistake will bring you down to a silver. Thankfully, you can redo your recipes or practice them to hone your baking skills.

With over one-hundred and sixty mini-games there is plenty of variety in the recipes. While I didn’t mind most of the mini-games, there are some really annoying ones. In real life, I don’t like playing refrigerator Tetris to fit everything into it; is there anyone out there that does? At least in real life, I have more than a minute or so to get everything sorted. And yes, I have had an otherwise perfect recipe dropped down to a silver because Mama’s fridge was disorganized. Another annoying set of mini-games are the ones where Mama is carrying a tray over to the oven or the fridge. This sounds simple enough but Mama must have been sneaking some swigs of cooking wine when I wasn't looking because she is pretty unsteady and keeping the tray level takes a lot of effort. Many of the mini-games are carried over from previous titles and I was surprised to see that Mama still has the blender that requires you to tap the lid back into place every few seconds. Why hasn’t she replaced it? Surely if she can open up several stores worldwide, she should be able to splurge and buy herself a new blender, right?

Highlights:

Strong Points: Classic gameplay that gets kids interested in cooking/bakingWeak Points: Other than the sugary recipes, not much has changed in this title; some confusing/annoying mini-games; multiplayer requires everyone to own the game (no download play); cannot rearrange store shelvesMoral Warnings: Alcohol is used in some recipes

There are lots of mouth watering recipes and you’ll get to help Mama make lots of goodies including caramel apples, churros, cream puffs, crepes, donuts, pancakes, macaroons, and plenty more. If you’re hungry and have a sweet tooth, it’s probably best to hold off on playing this game until you’ve eaten. I do like how this series gets my kids interested in baking/cooking though.

Despite getting flour and batter on Mama’s face, she doesn’t lose her cool. Some of the recipes are generous with mistakes and let you correct them without penalty as long as the task is completed in time. Other mini-games grant you a couple of mistakes, or none at all. The interface can be a little confusing at times and I had to show my kids how to apply decorations. There are some recipes that I didn’t understand a task or two on and was dropped down to a silver as a result.

If you own multiple copies of the game, up to four players can compete against each other in a cook-off. Since I only had one copy of this game and there's no download play option, I couldn’t test out this feature. My kids all enjoyed playing this game in single-player mode though. Even my son completed a few recipes despite that game being “girly”.

Once recipes are completed, you can place them in your storefront and sell them. Unfortunately, you cannot rearrange your store, but once you start to run out of space, your shop will automatically expand to accommodate more tables. Money earned from selling items can be spent on various customizations including new store décor, customized aprons and cooking utensils for Mama. The AI for the customers is pretty basic as they walk around awkwardly until they find a random item to purchase. It can be rather painful watching them fumble around and waiting for them to make up their mind. I think they’ve been drinking some of Mama’s cooking wine too!

When Mama has stores opening up around the world, she can partake in various challenges which typically include assembly line tasks. Other challenges rely on your memory to place as many fast food orders as quickly and accurately as possible. If you manage to earn a medal, you’ll be rewarded with an unlockable item to enhance your kitchen or storefront with.

There is plenty to do in Cooking Mama Sweet Shop. If you enjoyed the previous entries then you’ll find much of the same content in this one. The same sound effects and Mama’s heavy accent are still present in this game. If you’re looking something different and exciting in this series, you’ll have to search elsewhere. The asking price of $30 is reasonable and if you have friends to play against, it’ll be fun to see who can make tastier treats.

Chores: they are often called hard, laborious, or boring. Few people even remotely like doing them, but regardless of one's attitude, everyone knows chores are fundamental to a functioning society. So how is it that games like Sims, Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, or Story of Seasons made activities like farming, weeding, and errands fun? Frankly, it's because they remove the 'work' part, leaving only the satisfaction of a completed job. No one doubts these simulation games' success, so now Chris Chau, CEO of Circle Entertainment, decided to lead his team with their approach to this curious genre. Theirs is a little ditty known as Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers.

With a name like Frontier Days, what needs explaining? Lead your band of pioneers to settle in an untamed wilderness. Well, I wouldn't call it 'wild' per se, due to the hordes of sheep everywhere. (Because of all the feral creatures I can list, woolly quadrupeds that go 'baa' isn't one of them.) Anyway, there's no real story here to drive the game. Survive and thrive is the motto. This means you're responsible to make sure the pantries are well stocked, your buildings are protected, and there's enough money for all your expenses. Pretty straightforward. There's still a catch though. Your goal hinges on the clock. Each in-game year cycle takes about ten minutes in real time, and within that short span you've got to gather enough food and money for a Harvest Festival. Your men must be fed, and your taxes are due by then. If you go bankrupt two years in a row, it's game over. This quite the intelligent setup if you ask me. One thing most simulation games overlook is that colonizing no-man's land doesn't mean you're cut off from societal norms. To my genuine surprise, Frontier Days does understand that.

As you can see, grub and wealth are above all else. How much you need will depend on the number of buildings and people you have. More buildings mean more taxes. More men means more bread. However, that also means having a bigger workforce and better money-making options, so I guess you must accept the good with the bad. Over time, your town can be upgraded. You start with a rustic village and can eventually transform it into a proper city. This unlocks more efficient means of income and lets you hire more recruits. However, it will also increase your tax rates. Again, gain a little lose a little. Same goes for your population. I should also mention that if you don't get enough food for everyone, your savings will be used to compensate. So there's that too.

Frontier Days is very easy to pick up and play. For one thing, you're provided a chart on the top screen to help keep track of your resources. What's better is that it can also calculate what's needed to build your next establishment and how many more materials you'll need to finish it, which is quite nifty. For active play, the circle pad directs the camera, but Frontier Days' controls are mostly 'touch' based. Choosing the tree to cut, the field to farm, or the grass plot to stand on is as easy as a couple taps. Just select the pioneer, then the place/task, and watch them go - inch by inch. Okay, okay. So they're not Olympic track runners, but personally I'm not gonna complain about their slowpoke legs. Jobs really do cost resources and time, so simulating the gradualness of it makes sense in context. As I've said earlier, you've only got so long between festivals. The waiting mechanic provides an uncomplicated yet deep strategic system. You must weigh out what's necessary, who's available, how long it will take, and if you have what's needed to complete the task. Organize and prioritize.

So that's it right? Shoot some sheep. Plant some wheat. Sell materials. Upgrade to bigger and better things. Instant success. Well, hold your horses. This game is smart enough to know real life isn't easy street. Frontier Days simulates this truth with their invention card mechanic. These random pop up stir ups are here to help or hurt your agenda. They drop in, and crops may fail. Earthquakes could damage your buildings, or you might land a surplus of pre-cut planks. Sometimes these conditions even last a whole year's cycle like a plague (literally). A card's effects happen in an instant, but there are some cards that you yourself can activate to meet your needs at anytime. The way I see it, the creators were wise to come up with these shakeups. This easy game would have been predictably boring, otherwise. Well done, Circle Entertainment. Well done.

However, there is one major gameplay flaw that kinda messed with my experience. In order to upgrade houses, businesses, or the town as a whole, you have to have certain resources plus rare diamonds and/or emeralds. Emeralds you can buy at the marketplace, albeit if you've built one. Diamonds on the other hand are earned by upgrading town hall. Why is this a problem? Sometimes the item in question is something you hadn't had before. This could mean needing to upgrade other establishments, just so you can create said item. What Frontier Days doesn't do is label their icons, barring me from knowing what I'm even trying to get. As a result, I'm left shooting in the dark, using up my limited diamond supply, hoping I'm investing properly. Because if I don't, I'll run out of diamonds, which means I can't upgrade the town. In other words, not at all. It's for that very reason I couldn't reach the city age in time for this review. If it just specified what their icons represented, offered an easy to find manual, or at least allowed a second way to acquire diamonds, I wouldn't have this problem - this one annoying problem. But I do.

If you're deadline panic prone, there are options to ease your phobia. Easy Mode renders misfortunes into trifles, and Tutorial Mode will even grant you perks like a free kitchen. I didn't even have to bother with helpful invention cards for either of these modes. Plus, there's Free Mode, which completely throws out 'Game Overs', so you can be free to do willy nilly without consequence. As for you hardcore survivalists, I'm sorry, but you got the short end of the stick. Hard Mode isn't that big of a challenge. Just hang on to those invention cards, and you're good. Super Hard Mode, where the sheep and boar attack your houses every other year, isn't that harrowing either if you know what you're doing. The game's trials just doesn't pull the stops to test you. If anything, the stricter demands make progression take longer, which hurts the game's pacing. It is a bit of a shame when difficulty equals boredom.

For presentation, the terrain you're taming isn't exotic or all that unique. It honestly reminded me of RollerCoaster Tycoon's empty starting lots. It's bare and flat, which is technically appropriate for its build-a-town structure. However, the random generated layouts still managed to look the same, despite rearranging the trees, rocks and rivers. I've only mentioned two animals so far so yeah. There's low show for the animal kingdom. Now, there are some decorative options for your village to help spruce up, but it doesn't liven things up much. As for your men, everyone's a carbon copy of his neighbor. They do look like tiny cute dolls though. Come to think of it, 'cute' sums up the visuals nicely. They're plain but adorable and does its job. I also didn't find any glitches other than a few misplaced animal sprites and a few frame rate drops. As for the music, it's for the most part lighthearted and welcoming. Problem is, it's repetitious. I can only hear the same guitar riffs so many times. I won't say it's unpleasant, but a bit more variety would have been appreciated.

Morality-wise, Frontier Days is as clean as it gets. I did hear that you can establish a church down the road, which sounds nice. I just don't know if it's supposed to be decorative or serves a function. Still, I can't imagine this game doing anything unsavory. There's next to no dialogue to go crude with nor suggestive theming. It's just you. You're the leader in the sky and captain of this ship. The only 'bad' that happens here is what you bring yourself.

My memories of Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers are relaxed ones. It's as harsh as a featherbed. Thus, it's very welcoming to gamers and non-gamers alike. In all honesty, this game can't compete with simulation kings like Animal Crossing or Minecraft, but it humbly offers its own insight that turned out to be more realistic than its bigger cousins. This to me amounts to a promising idea that hadn't fully matured. It has its oversights, but Frontier Days's approach might be worth checking out. I also don't think Christians have anything to fear here. It might even be a great learning tool for kids on leadership. As of right now, Circle Entertainment has re-released Frontier Days on Nintendo Switch. I may not know the differences between the two versions, but I do know this: The developers did find a yet to be polished gem. I'm sure the newer rendition will be better, but to the 3DS' credit, it has little to be ashamed of.

Lightwood Games specializes in puzzle games and we have previously reviewed their Sudoku and Word Find titles. Pic-A-Pix Color is available on both the 3DS and Wii U. I opted to play the 3DS version for its portability and convenience. The puzzles in this title are designed by Conceptis ltd.

If you’re familiar with Picross, Nonogram, Griddlers, or Hanjie puzzles then you’ll know how to play this game. If you’re new to this style of puzzle games you’ll quickly learn that the concept is simple but mastering it takes some time. The goal is to fill in the correct pixels using the vertical and horizontal clues provided. As the title states, the one-hundred and fifty puzzles in this game are in color.

Highlights:

Strong Points: Lots of fun and challenging puzzles to solveWeak Points: In-app purchasesMoral Warnings: The only magic in this game is a picture of a rabbit coming out of a hat

Since I haven’t played Picross, this was a relatively new experience for me. I like how the puzzles start off with easier 5x5 grids and gradually move up to 10X10, 15X15, 20X15, and then 20X20. Make sure you're wearing your glasses if needed for the 20X20 puzzles as the 3DS’ screen is at its limit there.

Not only does the complexity change, but the number of colors used do so as well. You’re given the number of colored pixels to use in each row and column, but figuring out the placement is on you. If you want to double check your work, you can use the magnifying glass icon to point out any errors. If any mistakes are found, you can have the game automatically remove them, but this will remove the option for a gold medal upon completion. The time spent solving the puzzle is recorded if you want to try and beat your previous performance.

When the correct pixels are filled in, the clues are usually blanked out as a result. This doesn’t happen on all of the puzzles though and the developer is aware of this and hopes to rectify it in the future. Other than that minor glitch, I experienced no problems playing this game.

Since we’re working with pixel art, don’t expect the finished puzzles to look photorealistic. The less your hopes are, the better. Upon completion, the solved puzzles do resemble what they’re supposed to. The background music fits into the retro theme with its chiptune style.

Pic-A-Pix Color is very fun and it’s a great game to pick up and play anytime. If the one-hundred and fifty puzzles are not enough you can buy more packs for $1.99 apiece. The packs are sold in bundles that feature a variety of set sizes and includes an additional 30-45 puzzles for the reasonable asking price. Be sure to lock down your 3DS’ eShop access before letting a child play this title.

Sudoku is a fun puzzle game where each puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid, divided into nine, 3x3 sections. The challenge is to place the numbers one through nine in such a fashion that no number is repeated for each row, column, and 3x3 section. Some numbers will be placed in advance, and these numbers are what affects the level of the challenge. Many pre-placed numbers can make the puzzle very easy, while a sparse amount can make the puzzle extremely challenging.

Highlights:

Strong Points: 1,000 Sudoku puzzles and multiplayer support for $5.00Weak Points: Nobody playing this game onlineMoral Warnings: None

In total, there are 1,000 single-player puzzles broken down into four difficulties. The Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulties have three hundred puzzles each. The Fiendish mode has one hundred challenging puzzles. When you start a puzzle the timer will start and depending on your performance you’ll be awarded between one and three balloons. You’ll get one balloon for completing the puzzle and another for not using any of the hints. Last but not least, you’ll get another balloon if you can complete the puzzle within the recommended time limit. Without using the hints I can complete an easy puzzle in less than thirty minutes while the recommended time limit is ten minutes. Each harder difficulty adds five minutes to the time challenge.

When using/abusing the hint system, completing the puzzle within the recommended time limit is not a problem. I like how you can annotate the squares with potential numbers. The game will automatically remove any incorrect annotations or final entries that intersect with the same number. There have been many times when there are two potential numbers that could work and I don’t know which is the correct order. By placing the numbers and tapping on the check puzzle/lightbulb icon the game will check for errors and remove them for you. By using this awesome feature, you lose the chance of getting the no hint balloon though. It’s worth it in my opinion.

While the single-player puzzles are worth the $5 asking price, the real fun of this game is playing against other people. Sadly, I couldn’t find anyone online to play against, but my daughters were willing to play a few a rounds with me (I won every time). Playing locally is easy to do since you can send a limited version of the game to your challenger via 3DS’ remote play feature.

Two players can work against each other to see who can complete more of the shared Sudoku puzzle. Points are awarded for each correct answer and incorrect entries will restrict the user from guessing again for a short amount of time. When the puzzle is completed the player with the most points wins.

Sudoku Party is quite fun when playing against others, but if you want to take your time (despite losing a balloon) the single-player mode will give your brain plenty of exercise. If you enjoy Sudoku puzzles, then buying Sudoku Party for $5 is a no-brainer.

For the purposes of this review I only played Pokémon Sun and did not play Pokémon Moon but they are practically the same game.

Have you wanted to play Pokémon again but you just don’t think they’ve done enough to the formula to justify buying the latest version? Do you want to try making the perfect team but you know that some party members will get bogged down having to learn the dreaded Hidden Machines (HMs)? Do you want something else from the story besides doing all eight gyms and stopping <insert fairly cool bad guy team name here> from getting a mythical Pokémon so they can destroy and rebuild the world yet again? Then this is the Pokémon game for you. This is the Pokémon game that truly changed the formula without changing what is true to the Pokémon franchise’s core.

That may sound like big praise for this game and it is, but I feel like this game deserves it. Pokémon Sun and Moon did a lot to make this game more streamlined than its predecessors while at the same time adding a whole slew of new features into the game. One of the changes is there are no longer HMs. HMs were special moves that you had to teach your Pokémon if you wanted to progress in the game. These moves would do things such as cut down trees or move boulders. This time around all HM related activities are handled by ride-Pokémon which can be summoned wherever you would need to use them. For instance, if there are rocks in your path you can summon a Taurus which is able to run into the rocks and destroy them.

Gyms have been replaced with the island trials. The trials consist of doing different things such as take pictures of certain Pokémon or collecting ingredients for a meal and then fighting a powerful totem Pokémon in a sort of boss fight. Wild Pokémon can now call for assistance when fighting them which can make it easy to find certain kinds of Pokémon. The game has now added super powerful moves called Z-Moves which do massive amounts of damage and is a great way to end a fight right when it starts. Finally, they added a new type of battle called the Battle Royale. In a Battle Royale four trainers with three Pokémon each fight in a free-for-all battle to see who can defeat the most Pokémon without losing all of their own Pokémon. That’s also just a small list of some of the more interesting things added this time around.

This latest iteration really added a lot of things that feel very different from other Pokémon games and they do a good job of introducing them to the player as they progress throughout the story. It makes the beginning a tad bit less boring / repetitive for somebody who has played Pokémon for a long time since there are actually new things to learn in the beginning of the game. The game is also pretty good at the pacing of the story. There was rarely a point in the game that I didn’t have a new trial to attempt. In most cases there was not a very long route you had to transverse in order to reach the next trial site or other important encounter. It helped make it feel like I was always making some kind of progress which was nice. The game also had a very nice mixture of new Pokémon and returning Pokémon. I was rather impressed how the various Pokémon felt like they would actually live in a place like Hawaii.

Highlights:

Strong Points: Unique setting; new forms of battling; lots of quality-of-life improvements; more of the same but different enough to really feel like a new game; interesting story.Weak Points: Can lag in some of the new battles; a Pokémon calling for assistance can make battles drag on; the story can sometimes get in the way of gameplay; game teases things that never go anywhere.Moral Warnings: This is a game where you make animals fight each other; game talks a fair bit about local beliefs; some characters wear more revealing clothes.

There are two negatives that I do have to mention that I didn’t find to be that bad but might annoy others. One problem is that the game has a lot of story. Almost every route you go through ends with about 10 minutes of dialogue. Now, as somebody who liked the story this was not bad but I have heard others complaining about that so that might affect you if you want to speed through the game while ignoring all of the story. The second complaint I have seen lodged against this game was the new system that allowed for wild Pokémon to call for assistance during battle. This could really draw out battles and make it impossible to catch a Pokémon until you defeat the ally summoned. I rarely had a problem with this new feature but it did get frustrating a couple of times when trying to catch some Pokémon.

The setting is the Alolan region which is based off of Hawaii. This choice is really reflected in the game with its mixture of the different cultures found in Hawaii as well as some of the local plants and animals. Everywhere you go gives you a distinct tropical island vibe which you haven’t really had before with a Pokémon game. The story starts off with an interesting cutscene of a girl running from some people at some kind of lab with a Pokémon. It then cuts to the player arriving in the Alolan region. You then get introduced to the system of trials they have in this region in place of gyms. Soon afterwards you are introduced to the bad guys of this game. The bad guys go by the name of Team Skull and are all hooligans that are mad that they weren’t strong enough to pass the island trials. Team Skull is one of my highlights of the game. Team Skull has no world-ending goal that they want to accomplish. They are literally just punks. On your first encounter with them you can simply ignore them. Nobody really takes them as a big threat and it can make interacting with them a fun experience. I ended up liking Team Skull more than all of the other recent bad guys we have seen.

You also then start to find out about some kind of “ultra wormhole” that rests above the island. In the past the island has been attacked by creatures from that wormhole only for them to be fought off by the island guardians. You then get involved in an interesting story I did not see coming. I’m not going to talk anymore about it in order to not spoil anything but it had a lot of things happen that I did not see coming and it had an overall good message about family. In addition, the different characters you meet along the way are fairly memorable and I appreciated how the different trial captains and island kahunas actually did more in the story besides just exist to give you a badge.

Something that did surprise me with this game was all the connections it had to the previous games. I was expecting some more connections to the Johto region because of the inclusion of the regional variants of some of the Johto Pokémon but there were others that were a big shock. I also found some of these inclusions lackluster since they just show up, say something, and then leave. I was hoping that some of the people would do a little more than just be a cameo. I was surprised by the large amount of postgame content this game had. Not only did this game have the now standard Battle <insert word here> place with the Battle Tree it also had another little mini story that finished wrapping up some of the loose ends. The game also let you go back and do things with the different trial captains as well as let you challenge opponents seeking to dethrone you as the champion of the region.

I really enjoyed the new Battle Royale that was added this generation. The Battle Royale is a fun and chaotic 4 person free-for-all battle. In this mode, the battle is over when a player has had all of their Pokémon defeated. At that time, the person who defeated the most Pokémon wins. I find this mode really fun since everybody is trying to win. An opponent will stop attacking you if by attacking you they will end the battle and cause somebody else to win. It gives you a fun moment to strategize to try and defeat enough people to make it so that you will win once the battle is over. It’s really satisfying to execute a plan to defeat the opponent in second place at the same time as the person in first is defeated in order to make yourself, who is in third, win when the battle is over. Finally, I am surprised at how difficult this game could feel. It wasn’t that hard but, as a player that was pretty overleveled for most of the game, I was surprised by how challenging the fights could still be even to me. This probably is not a problem for many players but it is one I could see some facing if they want to speed through the story.

The graphics in this game are pretty good. It was definitely an improvement over the previous Pokémon games. The game has been moved fully to 3D with the models and it now allows you to move freely. This is very nice but I did occasionally run into instances where I got stuck because what I had to traverse would not have been possible in previous games. In addition, while it was appreciated that the different trainers you fought had models that were 3D it did look weird sometimes after battle how the camera circled around them though it was also very welcomed how there were different models for the different type of trainers. It was nice to have different looking hikers and swimmers to battle. Another thing the game did rather well was the audio. The different sounds of the Pokémon were clear and distinct as well as the music being nice and catchy. I also have to commend them for making the music sound like something you would hear on an island.

The controls in this game are pretty standard as far as the Pokémon series is concerned. The battle menu went through another overhaul and changed its layout in order to better present the player with the different effects in battle such as weather and stat changes. It was really nice to be able to see this especially with the totem Pokémon battles so you can see what buff they got to their stats. It was also easy to still navigate the world with the free movement. The game also ran okay. I had no crashes but I did suffer lag in some of the battles with multiple Pokémon or different graphic effects such as the aura of the totem Pokémon. I should note that I did play this game on the original 3DS that was released back in the day so that could be the cause of the lag but it is something that might affect other people out there that get it.

On the moral content of the game Pokémon Sun and Moon do pretty well. You do have your standard thing about having animals fight each other but that has been present since the first Pokémon game. Also, this game highly emphasizes having players take care of their Pokémon. The language in the game was fairly clean although there were a couple of jokes that are childish or seemed to be a little bit dirty in nature. There are some really underdressed female characters in the game. Most were your standard swimmers in bikinis but there were a couple of characters in really short shorts and some low-cut tops. You also had a bunch of shirtless men. I’m pretty sure besides that labcoat the professor doesn’t own any other tops. The game also has a fair bit of discussion about local beliefs and customs. Some of the dialogue makes it seem like some of the people worship the island guardians with them throwing parties for them and hosting all sorts of contests for them. There is also the existence of the various ghost Pokémon and some of the different, more magical based powers of some of the different Pokémon. Also, another weird thing the game does is allow you to get into other people’s beds. Now, that might not be that weird but it then goes through an explanation of what the bed smells like. That did, to me, feel a little bit weird.

I will give the game credit for its message. I won’t go into much detail in order to not spoil any of the plot but it has to do with the value of family and talks a little about messing with things you should not mess with which is nice. One more thing that should be mentioned with any Pokémon game is that while the game does feature stuff about evolution it does not deal with any sort of scientific evolution. Everything that evolves in this game just changes forms as they grow like each stage is a stage in the life of a frog.

Overall I really enjoyed this game. I have been a fan of the Pokémon series for most of its lifespan but this game was a nice treat. If anybody out there is even remotely interested in Pokémon but got bored because you felt like it was the same thing again and again I’d say they made this just for you. This game is enough of a change to make it feel like something truly different without having to change everything up. It has really made me look forward to the next installment since I now do not know what to expect from the next game after all the changes made in this one. This game was a real nice change of pace. It was also a pretty solid game that is pretty decent morally speaking. I feel like it is an easy game to recommend to anybody with an interest in the series.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was originally released for the Wii in 2010 and has since been ported to the 3DS and the Wii U (virtual console). Since I’m blessed with a New Nintendo 3DS, I haven’t experienced any performance issues running this title, though it does run at 30FPS compared to the Wii’s 60FPS. The portability is worth the trade off in my opinion.

Upon launching the game, you’ll be prompted to choose between a single-player or two player experience. In order to play local multiplayer, both players need to own a copy of the game. Once the game mode is selected, you’ll have to choose which mode you want to play. The classic/more challenging experience is available, but an easier mode has been introduced that gives Donkey and Diddy Kong an extra heart along with more stuff available at Cranky’s island shops. Once the difficulty is set, it cannot be changed mid-game so choose wisely. If you’re new to the series I recommend trying it on the easier mode first because even on easy, this game gets pretty challenging later on.

The story is simplistic, but it works. Tikis have invaded the island and have hypnotized many of its inhabitants. Donkey Kong isn’t phased by their hypnotic powers and is pretty angry about the Tikis stealing all of his bananas. With the help of Diddy Kong, they’re going to get back every last one of them!

Highlights:

Strong Points: A portable port of the challenging but fun Wii game Weak Points: Some of the later levels get rather difficult and can be frustrating; runs at half of the speed of the Wii version Moral Warnings: Cartoon violence

Donkey Kong has several abilities including jumping, pounding the ground, and blowing dandelions/candles/fires out. These skills will come in handy when it comes to locating all of the hidden letters and puzzle pieces scattered throughout the seventy plus levels. If you miss collecting a letter or puzzle piece, you can always go back and replay a level. If you die mid-level you’ll have to restart from the beginning or at a checkpoint and recollect the letters since the last checkpoint. Collected puzzle pieces are accounted for after dying though.

Besides collecting puzzle pieces and letters, there are also bananas and banana coins to grab. For each one hundred bananas gathered, Donkey Kong will earn an extra balloon/life. The coins can be spent at Cranky’s shop, which sells balloons individually or in cost saving bundles. There are also keys available, which will unlock a previously inaccessible level. Various power-ups and other helpful accessories are available to purchase as well.

While Donkey Kong can usually survive a couple of hits, there are many instant death scenarios. When partnered with Diddy Kong they double their number of health hearts. If half of the hearts get depleted, Diddy Kong will go away until you can find another DK barrel. Diddy Kong’s rocket boost is helpful, especially during boss battles. Thankfully there’s usually a DK barrel available before triggering a boss fight.

The levels, enemies, and boss battles have a pattern to them. If you figure it out you’re golden, if not you’ll be losing balloons left and right. Thankfully, if you run out of balloons, you have the option of continuing and getting four more without having to start the game over from the beginning. You will lose progress made at checkpoints though. If you lose many lives, you’ll have the option of shadowing a competent Donkey Kong to learn how to complete the level. However, if you do beat the level this way, it won’t count until you can do it on your own.

While I was thankful for the checkpoints, I often wished that there were more of them. Most levels have just one. The enemies are usually avoidable, but the environmental threats are much harder to avoid. There’s a decent amount of variety when it comes to enemies including different types of bats, birds, drums, sharks and several others. The environmental obstacles include bombs, tidal waves, stalagmites, and stalactites.

There’s plenty of level variety and many of them were fun while others are brutally difficult. It wasn’t uncommon for me to lose twenty lives on a single level. Yes, there’s the sense of accomplishment for finally completing it, but that quickly ebbs away upon discovering that I was missing a puzzle piece or a letter and I had no desire to replay it to perfect it. I was often frazzled, but happy to continue onward in the quest of reclaiming the stolen bananas.

While this game is pretty clean with cartoon violence, it may be too difficult for younger children to enjoy. It is great for playing in short spurts though. It brought a smile to my face when I was greeted with a “You have been playing for a while. Why don’t you take a rest?” screen. I remember seeing those a lot growing up!

In the end, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D offers a lot of challenge and variety to the platformer genre. I typically enjoyed the levels where I was able to ride rhinos, rockets, and mine carts, though they got pretty challenging later on in the game. If you don’t mind a challenge and enjoy finding hidden secrets, this game can be yours for less than $19 physically.

Yo-Kai Watch was originally released in Japan in 2013 and sold quite well. Australia and North America got their launch at the end of 2015 while Europe was finally able enjoy this game in April of 2016. In the fall of last year, the sequel arrived in two parts: Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. Like Pokémon, each game offers different Yo-Kai that are exclusive to them.

Yo-Kai Watch and Pokémon are very similar, but Pokémon is all about catching monsters while Yo-Kai Watch revolves around catching spirits that are only visible with the help of the special watch. At first, your character is not aware of the presence of Yo-Kai and is focused on catching rare bugs for their science project. While travelling deep into the woods they discover an old looking capsule machine and like any child would, they insert a coin and turn the handle. The child (whom you get to name and choose their gender) is then introduced to Whisper, a typical ghost looking Yo-Kai that gives him/her a watch and explains how to use it.

Some Yo-Kai are peaceful and mind their own business while others are more mischievous and cause people to argue, forget, be indecisive, or even lose cell phone signal. While the victims act like they are demon possessed, only the forgetfulness requires direct contact from a Yo-Kai; the rest of the odd behavior is done by nearby spirits. Only a few Yo-Kai are out in the open as many of them need to be located after you pick up their auras on your watch. Your watch will notify you when you’re near a Yo-Kai and you’ll then have to use your lens to spot and track them until you get locked in on their location. They’re usually not happy about being discovered and will pick a fight with you soon afterward. If you fight well enough, they may offer you their friendship and give you their medallion to summon them by. Most of the time you’ll have to get them to like you more in battle by throwing some food that they like their way.

Highlights:

Strong Points: It’s fun to collect bugs and Yo-Kai; decent variety in battle mechanics and bosses; this game enforces following traffic signals and punishes your character if they jay-walk too many timesWeak Points: Lots of “fetch” side quests; many of the Yo-Kai are palette swapped; confusing controls at timesMoral Warnings: Yo-Kai are spirit beings that can influence people to do various things out of character; many of the Yo-Kai must be tracked down by sensing their auras; mysticism and crystal balls are used to foresee future events; various seals have to be restored to stop Yo-Kai from flooding into your town; potty humor is used throughout the game as some of the Yo-Kai have snot dripping out of their noses or their faces are shaped like butts; some of the story levels involve breaking and entering into buildings at night

There are many places to search for bugs and Yo-Kai. Be sure to look under cars, vending machines, in the grass, as well as up trees and telephone poles. The higher the Yo-Kai rating, the harder they are to lock in on. In order to see higher level Yo-Kai, you’ll need to have your watch upgraded a few times.

At first, you’ll need to locate the parts needed to upgrade your watch, but after that you’ll have to defeat stronger Yo-Kai to prove that you’re ready. The battle system provides plenty of strategy and variety. Up to six Yo-Kai can be in your party and each Yo-Kai has a certain type/affinity, and when you have the same kind adjacent to each other, you’ll unlock various offensive and defensive boosts. There are other attributes to take into consideration as well and there’s nothing worse than having a loafing Yo-Kai that barely fights.

In battle the Yo-Kai will attack automatically unless they’re too lazy and don’t feel like it. If their soul meter is filled up, you can do a special attack or ability. Activating one of these special moves requires completing a random mini-game. Sometimes you have to tap on falling coins, trace rune-like symbols or simply spin a wheel until it fills up with energy. When an enemy attacks, your Yo-Kai may get dispirited/debuffed and you’ll have to break that curse by completing a different set of mini-games. Those games have you rubbing or tapping away the spell that’s on them. The last thing to look out for is the health meter of your Yo-Kai; you can send them food items to replenish their health. You can only do it occasionally so it’s important to have healing Yo-Kai in your party. If a Yo-Kai falls in battle you can revive them if you have medicine on hand. Thankfully, their defeat is not permanent, as they’ll be revived with one health point after the battle. If all of the Yo-Kai are defeated, you’ll lose the battle.

When you’re not hunting or battling Yo-Kai, chances are that you’ll be in the middle of a story or side-quest. This game is broken down into episodes like its TV show. After completing each episode you’ll be prompted to save and see “To be continued….” Upon finishing a side quest, you’ll be rewarded with some experience, money and/or items. You’ll also get to see a random animated short that lasts a few seconds.

With the silliness that delves into some potty humor, I’m sure kids will find this game entertaining. Adults may want to think twice about the lessons that this game teaches. On a positive note, I like how Yo-Kai Watch encourages honesty and following traffic signals, but it teaches a bunch of other things that makes me want to keep it out of my children’s hands. Some of the story quests involve breaking and entering into buildings at night. Besides encouraging breaking the law, there are many occult references including Yo-Kai possessing people or influencing them to do things out of character. The whole aura sensing and using crystal balls to foresee the future go against Biblical teachings (Deut 18:10) as well.

I have yet to play a bad Level-5 game and Yo-Kai watch is definitely no exception. I have put in roughly twenty hours before completing the game and there is still plenty more to do after the credits roll. The limited voice acting is well done and I like how each Yo-Kai says their name when they become your friend. The cut-scenes are fully voice acted as well. Most of the game is text only though. The background music is good and has a haunted theme throughout the game.

Graphically, the game is well done. The Yo-Kai for the most part look cute and creepy at the same time and that’s a tough balancing act. In your world are several different colored boxes that have items inside and these boxes have an eye on them which is rather weird. When you visit the Yo-Kai world later in the game you’ll have to pass through several gates which also have a huge eye on them as well. With over two-hundred Yo-Kai there’s quite a bit of variety among them, though many of them are stronger with palette swaps to differentiate them.

While I didn’t experience any system crashes I did have to resort to a search engine to find out why I couldn’t climb up a rope ladder once. As it turns out this particular ladder required pressing the joystick to the right instead of the logical direction, up. Other than that, this game is very intuitive and easy to play.

In the end Yo-Kai Watch is a fun game that children will certainly enjoy. Adults should be aware of the potty humor, breaking and entering, and occult references before giving this game to their children though. If that’s not an issue, this game sells for less than $30 for a physical copy on Amazon. The digital version still goes for $39.99.

The Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise has been around for twenty years! In 2015 I enjoyed playing Story of Seasons on my 3DS and Trio of Towns follows much of the same formula with some welcome additions. The game begins with you selecting your character’s gender, appearance, and personality type. Whatever option you choose will have a benefit. Since I selected animal lover, all of my farm animals and pets started with one affection heart. I opted for a shorthaired gray cat while there are other types, as well as several dog breeds to choose from.

The story begins with a flashback of your character’s childhood memory of enjoying their time at a petting farm. It left such an impression that they want to move out and become a farmer when their family has to relocate yet again. The main character’s father is strongly against the idea, but after a couple weeks of butting heads, he relents and lets you stay with your uncle who is a farmer in West Town. If you can convince your uncle and dad that you have what it takes to become a farmer, he’ll give you his full support. Your father will provide you with increasingly harder goals called “Farming Tips“ to strive for and you’ll be rewarded upon their completion.

Besides the western themed West Town, there are two other villages that will gradually become available as the roads to them get repaired. Lulucoco is Hawaiian themed while Tsuyukusa is a Japanese-style town. All three of the villages offer unique products, festivals, and eligible bachelors/bachelorettes. While this may change in future titles, currently you can only marry characters of the opposite gender. One of the deities is androgynous and may be married by both genders.

Highlights:

Strong Points: A surprisingly fun game despite it revolving around doing work and various chores; plenty to do and people to dateWeak Points: Some of the weeds are hard to see in the weeding jobs; character events can be hard to trigger without the help of a guideMoral Warnings: Several god/goddesses that get celebrated during festivals and welcome offerings made to them; references to auras; fairytale magic

Dating requires winning people over by attending the various festivities/contests, giving gifts, and by simply talking to them. As they like your character more and more, eligible partners have a flower in their dialogue box that changes color. Once the friendship levels have been met, a love scene must be triggered in order to move onto the next relationship phase. While I was able to activate several cutscenes on my own, I did need to refer to a guide to move things along further with my bachelor of choice, Wayne.

Each character has items that they love, like, and dislike as gift options. You can earn lots of points by giving them their favorite gift daily, and especially on their birthday. Winning pet, farm animal, and produce contests help out a bit as well. The festivals have three different ranks, but you have to win the previous level before entering a higher one. Once you enter the veteran and expert modes, a mysterious armor-clad guy named Mr. D becomes your rival. Defeating him is one of the requirements of the “Farming Tips” sent by your father.

Besides developing relationships with rivals and marriage partners, you’ll have to cultivate partnerships with each of the towns as well. To increase your town rank you’ll need to ship products to them, complete various side jobs that change daily, and attend their festivities. Some of the side jobs are basic farming tasks like watering and harvesting crops or milking or brushing farm animals. Other jobs include chopping wood or pulling weeds. The weed pulling tasks were tricky at times with the weeds blending in with the background graphics. Some of those jobs took longer than they needed to be and making the weeds stand out more would have been nice.

Occasionally a mystery job would appear and by completing those I unlocked Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad outfits for my character. Each outfit provides a power-up that’s available while wearing it. Sometimes foods will give you temporary power-ups as well. When buying expensive items like home upgrades or wedding rings, be sure to have the money saver power-up activated!

While completing side jobs is nice, most of your money will be earned by raising and selling crops along with animal byproducts. To increase the price and quality of your crops you can put fertilizer on them daily. Many crops only grow in a specific 31-day season so plan accordingly. You can convert produce back to seeds so you won't have to start from a half-star rating all over again. The livestock can also be given treats and better feed that increases their various attributes as well. As you compete in the veteran and expert contests you’ll have to excel in many categories.

Despite the focus of completing work and chores, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is fun to play. Daily tasks of watering, fertilizing, milking, brushing, and cleaning up doo-doo aren’t that fun, but seeing your efforts paying off in a contest makes it all worthwhile. Getting to know the various characters and seeing their backgrounds unfold is rewarding as well. Some of the characters have heartwarming stories and not all of them are cheerful. One of the characters is adjusting to raising his son after the death of his wife.

Each town has a resident deity that looks over it and appreciates the annual festival recognizing them. The deities appreciate offerings you bring to them and some of them will give your character blessings and abilities for doing so. One of the abilities is to become closer to your pet and have them become a “furrmiliar”. One of the characters often talks about auras and how your produce/byproducts show off yours. The romance scenes were sweet and I thought it was cute that the kissing scenes were blacked out until the wedding day where you finally got to see the two characters kiss.

Though the credits roll after getting married, there is still plenty more to do. For example, once you have the final house expansion, you can raise a child with your spouse. You can also focus on raising five star crops and establishing an A rating with all of the towns. There is plenty of replay value in this title and it’s one I highly recommend for those who enjoyed previous Harvest Moon games.